The Alchemists' Council, page 19
For certain Council members, their mutual conjunction was yet another one of their enviable qualities; for others, the pairing was problematic, a cause for suspicion and mistrust. Eventually, thanks to the persistent efforts of one particular Council member, the suspicion turned to an outright accusation of allegiance with the Rebel Branch, which in turn led to an official investigation. Though Ilex and Melia were acquitted of all charges by a unanimous vote at Elder Council, the “upstart Magistrate” (as he was described in one archival account) who had initiated the accusations, along with a handful of his colleagues, never accepted the Elder Council decision and continued to reproach the conjunctive pair whenever possible.
For reasons that have never been conclusively proven, Ilex and Melia disappeared, presumably having left Council dimension to reside independently in the outside world. Their disappearance and its aftermath had been a subject of debate ever since. Some contended, as they had all along, that the pair was aligned with the rebels. Others argued they had joined the rebels only after their disappearance. Some surmised they had nothing whatsoever to do with the rebels and merely wanted to live in peace, free of accusatory remarks. Perhaps they had merely wanted to live the remainder of their days in the outside world free from alchemical manipulation. Alternate theories proposed they had chosen to live independently of Council or rebels, sustaining themselves with alchemical knowledge and usurped or fabricated Elixir. Despite an inability to locate the pair and notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary, the Council nonetheless officially maintained that Ilex and Melia still possessed their conjunctive pendant and thus their alchemical abilities.
This particular theory, combined with allegations of rebel activity, led to suspicion of their involvement in the Third Rebellion. However, as with all other accusations levelled at them, nothing conclusive had ever been found to link Ilex and Melia to any rebel activity whatsoever. Thus, as time passed, as no evidence surfaced, as they were nowhere to be found, and as they had never been seen again within Council dimension, Ilex and Melia became relegated to the archives and to the occasional late-night conversation among certain alchemists who had known them. For others, Ilex and Melia gradually became a mere curiosity, little more than an intriguing myth to be recounted to Initiates during Council history lessons.
Such had been the case for Sadira — until lately. Years ago she would speak at length about the pair with Saule who, in both intonation and gesture during the conversations, seemed to both idolize and envy them. Sadira adopted a similar attitude. Like most Initiates who have witnessed a typical conjunction and lived in fear of one day being consumed by another, she was elated to know of the potential for mutual conjunction. However, as time moved forward, as her first century within Council dimension passed, Sadira gradually let go of what seemed to her more and more a mere youthful fantasy. For decades, she had given little thought to the pair. Renewed interest was much more recent.
A few years ago, shortly after she had lost Saule, she began thinking of the possibility that she herself would one day be conjoined. If she were granted that honour, with whom would she be paired? She had, of course, once hoped to conjoin with Saule. But this hope had been thwarted by Cedar. She had grieved for Saule, as sadness for her loss mixed with anger directed at Cedar. However, she knew rationally that Cedar’s dominance over Saule’s essence was an inherent and unavoidable part of the conjunctive process, and that she should not be angry with Cedar. Eventually she saw Cedar as someone who still possessed all that remained of Saule, even if only a trace. Thus her attitude towards Cedar softened; they became friends and, gradually, lovers. One day, within the first few months of their budding relationship, Reader Wu Tong approached them both with the news that he had read of Sadira’s conjunction; he claimed it would certainly occur within the tenure of 18th Council. Sadira had wept that night in Cedar’s arms. I don’t want to conjoin, she had told Cedar. I want to stay here with you and Saule.
Cedar did not reveal her secret immediately. She waited. She waited several weeks, until enough time had passed that Sadira was exhibiting physical signs of anxiety over the potential conjunction. I have a solution, said Cedar one night. She told Sadira about the power of Sephrim. It will strengthen your essence; you will dominate, no matter who is chosen as your partner. Of course, the use of Sephrim was prohibited. Procuring it was dangerous, a crime punishable by erasure. I have contacts, Cedar assured her. No one will know. And thus was Sadira trapped. She realized in that moment that Cedar herself must have ingested Sephrim in the years leading up to her own conjunction, that her potential for dominance over Saule had been unlawfully enhanced, that the one who had wilfully consumed her beloved Saule was now the one offering her the potential for eternal life.
Sadira had a choice: she could inform the Elder Council of Cedar’s illicit acts or she could accept Cedar’s offer. She chose the latter. A few nights later — over a year ago now — when Sadira agreed to accept the Sephrim, Cedar could not have been more content. We will be together for eternity, Sadira had said, like Ilex and Melia. But now she knew that her relationship with Cedar was nothing like the relationship between Ilex and Melia. She and Cedar would remain inexorably entwined not through love alone but through guilt and complicity.
Not long thereafter, both to distract herself from the impending conjunction and to enliven the students in her Initiate classes, Sadira began once again to research Ilex and Melia. She approached the manuscripts and records with what she believed to be an open mind. She found several accounts of their lives in the archives and several within the Lapidarian manuscripts that had escaped her notice all those years earlier. The more she read of them, the more she wanted to know. They swiftly became for Sadira much more than just a romantic story revered in her youth, more than a myth, more than a lesson in class. They began to embody for Sadira a means to an end.
Now, in all likelihood, Sadira would have remained in the Amber Garden until the afternoon light transformed into evening, if not for the event that literally shook her and everyone in Council dimension into a change of plans and perspective. At first, Sadira thought her own body was betraying her, that her trembling had grown more severe as she mourned for Saule and contemplated Ilex and Melia. But then the trembling grew more intense; the amber pieces hanging amidst the leaves on the branches above her began to make a tinkling sound, the sort occasionally caused by an alchemically induced springtime wind. Then, mere seconds later, the entire Amber Garden became visibly agitated, with amber pieces clinking harshly against one another. Finally, Sadira had to steady herself on the bench as the ground itself began to shake beneath her.
A recent arrival to Council dimension from the outside world would have mistaken the event for an earthquake. But as Sadira and all trained alchemists knew, Council dimension was not prone to the geographical or meteorological events of the outside world; all apparently natural events within Council dimension were controlled by the Lapis itself through alchemical manipulation of the elements — and the Council had maintained a virtual paradise for thousands of years. This event, one that within moments had the entire Council dimension shaking at its foundations and every alchemist fearing death, despite the Lapidarian promise of eternal life, had only one explanation: a colossal disturbance in the elemental balance, a balance upon which the Council depended for its very existence.
While Sadira gripped the stone bench in the Amber Garden, Cedar braced herself against the Lapis itself in the Scriptorium. Ruis, with whom Cedar had been meeting to discuss the manuscript lacunae and potential rebel activity, steadied himself against one of the acacia wood pillars — four of which graced the Scriptorium in tribute to the four elements surrounding the Quintessence of the Lapis. During the height of the tremors, both Ruis and Cedar kept instinctive postures, heads down and eyes closed. And when the shaking ceased, they remained momentarily in position, opening their eyes only to exchange stunned looks.
Though Cedar immediately understood the quake as an elemental disturbance, and though she knew that everything within Council dimension would regain its elemental balance within hours — that even broken glass or cracked stone or spilled waters would be returned to their original state through alchemical transformation — she nonetheless continued to tremble after the dimensional movement ceased. Ruis, perhaps out of honest concern or perhaps merely seizing an unexpected opportunity, moved towards Cedar, proffering comfort with open arms. To the surprise of both Ruis and herself, Cedar accepted the gesture, and the two embraced. Again to the surprise of both, Ruis was the one who broke away, moving from Cedar with a sudden gasp of despair.
“The Flaw in the Stone!” he exclaimed, pointing behind Cedar at the Lapis.
Cedar turned. She held a hand to her mouth to silence what might otherwise have manifested as an astonished cry as she stared at the Lapis. In the place where the Flaw used to be, where its absence had been visible even to the most observant Council member only in a certain slant of light, now lodged what could only be described as a significantly sized fissure. It measured at least a finger’s width and an arm’s length, scarring the Lapis beyond anything Cedar could ever have imagined.
Ruis heaved himself against the Lapis, pounding his fists against its surface in an act of sacrilege that, fortunately for him, no one but Cedar witnessed.
“Stop!” Cedar cried, making futile attempts to restrain his physical outrage.
“Everything is ruined! Everything is ruined!”
“Perhaps the Lapis will repair itself, along with everything in Council dimension. We need only wait a few hours — a few days at most.”
“This is not a mere crack in the floor of Azothian Chambers, Cedar. This is the Flaw in the Stone! I have worked my entire Council life as an Elder to eradicate the Flaw, to re-establish the perfection of the Lapis, to recreate the achievement of the Azoths during the Vulknut Eclipse of the 17th Council. And for what? For what? All for nothing. Now, even if I am chosen as Azoth Magen after Ailanthus, I will reach Final Ascension only to die like all who have ascended before me. Perfect union of all will never occur. I will have changed nothing. Nothing.”
“No, Ruis. No. Like all those before you, at Final Ascension you will achieve eternal life through conjunction with the One.”
“No, Cedar, I will die. I will be subsumed by the One. You know this as well as I.”
He was right, of course. Cedar did know, as well as any Elder, that Final Ascension meant physical death, despite what the Azoths themselves preached as the official interpretation of the Law Codes. She knew as well what Ruis had wanted, what he had been working towards, and what he may well have been able to achieve if not for all those working against him, including her.
After the tremor had ceased and she had recovered enough to walk, Sadira made her way to Council Chambers. Though such an event had never before happened during her tenure, she knew enough about emergency protocols to assume Council Chambers would be the meeting point in the aftermath of today’s cataclysm. Along the path to the main Council building she stopped twice, just long enough to observe the alchemical healing process along the high eastern wall of the main courtyard — small fractures closed seamlessly as she watched. She ran her fingertips over the newly repaired surface and marvelled at the restoration’s rapid progression and resulting perfection. She watched as a dozen or so Lapidarian bees moved from blossom to blossom, working to restore the elemental balance of the trees and gardens. Regardless of the disturbance or its cause, Council dimension Quintessence remained alive and well. A Ritual of Restoration, which she assumed would be the first order of business, would ensure a full recovery of Council dimension grounds and buildings — from the highest tower to the deepest channel waters. Though she had performed portions of the ritual over the years, she had never recited it in its entirety. Chanting the entire text would take several hours of careful concentration, with each alchemist not only chanting the words but also visualizing the Quintessence moving through Council dimension, restoring the elemental balance. She wondered if the outside world had likewise suffered damage, whether people had died in the alchemical equivalent to an elemental aftershock. A disruption within the elemental balance of earth, fire, air, and water in Council dimension could well manifest as an earthquake or volcanic eruption or tornado or tsunami in the outside world. If such a disaster had occurred, the Readers would certainly know within the hour, and the Scribal restoration would begin by nightfall. But manifesting restoration in the outside world would be slow at best. At least, that is what Sadira understood from her readings on the matter; she had never herself taken part in such an extensive restoration.
Sadira could hear the clamour within Council Chambers even before she reached the anteroom. Council members were gathered in clusters recounting events. “I was in the North Library,” she overheard someone exclaim, “and was nearly struck on the head by a 14th-century illuminated Feasts of the Azoths.” Meanwhile, the Azoths stood in their respective places at the front of Council Chambers, talking among themselves. Shortly thereafter, Azoth Ravenea called upon Readers Olivia, Terek, Wu Tong, and Tilia. Standing together on the Azothian platform, the three Readers and the three Azoths consulted each other animatedly for several minutes. Finally, and with some difficulty given the noise level within Chambers, Azoth Ruis called the session to order.
“As I am sure you have determined, the dimensional disturbance we experienced less than an hour ago was the result of a severe disruption in the elements. Though the Readers have not yet reached a conclusion on the precise cause — whether rebel intention or Council mistake — they have nonetheless managed to pinpoint the geographical location of the disturbance. Having consulted with Olivia, Terek, and Wu Tong, I can confirm that the epicentre of imbalance lay in the Qingdao protectorate.”
Sadira, though she gave no outward sign of reaction to this news, felt a chill run through her body. Scanning the benches and chairs of Council Chambers, she observed four notable absentees: Obeche, Tera, Arjan, and Jaden. Were they together in Qingdao? Her earlier concerns over the potential of an outside world aftershock gripped her. Had all four perished? Were they alive but unable to return to Council dimension? Was the disturbance — as malevolent as it appeared to be — part of Cedar’s plan? Had Cedar purposely not revealed her full plan? Had she betrayed Sadira through omission of truth? Or, worse, had Sadira’s own secrets — those she had most recently kept from Cedar — somehow contributed to the disaster? Or, had someone slain the person she so recently had come to believe would be their saviour?
Cedar was stunned when Ruis announced that the elemental imbalance had originated in the Qingdao protectorate. Though she perhaps should have expected the unexpected, especially given the possibility of interference by Obeche, Cedar had not anticipated such drastic news. Why, time and again, was Obeche involved when something went amiss?
The seats directly behind her, normally occupied by Obeche and Tera, were empty. Even if Obeche never returned from Qingdao, and regardless of his hundreds of years with the Council, she would not count his absence as much of a loss. Indeed, she may even revel in the unexpected turn of events. But she could not bear the thought that Tera may not return. She had always found Tera an ally against Obeche in decisions over Scribal matters. And her thoughts darkened even further when she confirmed, with a quick glance towards the Initiate benches at the back of Council Chambers, that both Jaden and Arjan were also missing. With the possible exception of the newly incised increase to the Flaw in the Stone, Council dimension would be repaired. But if Tera, Arjan, and Jaden had been hurt in the outside world, whether or not within protectorate space, the damage to the future of the Council could prove irreparable.
Thus through the entire Ritual of Restoration, through the ceremonial words and vocal intonations and physical gestures, and even during the Procession of the Orders as she moved from her seat towards the Azoth Magen to receive the Sacrament of Elixir, Cedar’s thoughts returned continually to Tera and the young Initiates. Were they safe? Had they themselves accidentally caused the disturbance? Would the Elders blame her for insisting that the Initiates be taken to the outside world? Would Sadira blame her for the loss of Jaden and Arjan?
As the ritual progressed, Cedar could feel the balance of elements within Council Chambers — and, indeed, within herself — gradually return to normalcy. Yet she could still sense a disturbance within her pendant, as if the Lapidarian essence itself had been affected by the disruption within Council dimension. Perhaps this effect was the result of the increase to the Flaw. She assumed Ruis would have told Ailanthus and Ravenea of this dramatic change to the Lapis. Perhaps Ailanthus’s offering of the Sacrament of Elixir was a means to circumvent any disturbance within the Lapidarian essence of the pendants.
Just as Cedar had returned to her seat and placed her pendant against her lips as a means of determining its reaction to the Elixir, the southern doors to Council Chambers were thrown open. Obeche and Tera, with Arjan in tow, made their way through the group of Magistrates about to receive Elixir, Obeche announcing loudly to the Azoths, “Junior Initiate Jaden has been abducted by the rebels!”
